A Little Bit of Land

A little bit of land is all I ask.

Just a small place to call my own,

where I can put down roots, so deep

so deep,

that great-grandchildren still will

call it home.

Is it so much to ask?

a lane of trees,

bringing birdsong and colored leaves,

a grape arbor, the roses beyond,

sweet lilacs holding in their arms,

the lawn.

Tulips, and yellow daffodil,

spattered up and down the cellar hill,

sweet gurgling brook, fresh and cool,

the brush beyond

sheltering grouse and sage,

and shy sweet deer.

Oh aching heart, hungry hungry soul.

What little bit to make a grateful

whole.

Is there no spot in all this universe?

a little valley, with a cabin home,

a bit of garden I can call my own,

I would not bruise the land, or tear

it apart,

but keep it beating with a happy

blooming heart.

Each bit of soil, which God had surely blessed,

would be a cozy home for seeds to rest,

and grow and nourish, comforting

all men,

with fruit and shade, and food for every soul.

A little bit of land, to call my own,

within its small confines, a loving home,

and fertile soil

no matter the toil,

I would so grateful be

if God would take a little chance on me

and give me a small plot of lonely sod

that needs a gentle hand, and God.

 

 

~ Jennie Senrud Hutton

(Taken from The Encyclopedia of Country Living, 10th edition, by Carla Emery)